In 2013, why not turn your love or, conversely, your fear of money into a weight loss motivator? There are a handful of websites out there looking to help you beat the bulge with a little monetary incentive. Here's the deal. You tell them how much weight you're going to lose in what time frame and bet them a certain amount of money that you'll do so. Then, they'll take your bet, give you odds (as in 3:1, 10:1, 25:1, etc.), and either pay out or collect when you do or don't achieve your goal. Interested?

Pretty damn genius if you ask me, especially since the founder of one site says there's an 80 percent fail rate. Not that he's cheering for people to fall flat on their faces or anything, but when you're making bank off of someone who says they'll lose 15 pounds in three months and bets you $6,000 they'll do it, I mean, he's gotta be laughing all the way to the bank, right?

Maybe. But there are people out there who succeed, and big time. I'd like to think if I bet a couple grand on weight loss, there'd be nothing to stop me from reaching my goal. Simply put, I can't afford not to. So when the alarm goes off at 6 a.m. and I have to hit the gym, there'd be no rolling over in bed and ignoring the wake-up call because I just.cant.lose.two.grand.

I bet, however, there are a lot of people who think money is the motivation they need to kick-start a healthier lifestyle. And, as the data showed, only 20 percent of them are actually right. I'm not a betting woman (as of yet), but even I know that those odds aren't good.

They say that in order to make a change, you have to be ready to make a change -- the motivation has to come from within. So if you're ready, on the inside, maybe it's worth putting a little money down.

And if you're not, well, the only thing that might get skinny is your wallet.